Leticia (9 page)

“Now
that’s
funny
.
”

Nancy tapped my arm and gave me the thumbs up, meaning Jackson and Tristan were on their way.

“I swear to god when I see you I’ll kill you
!
” I shot
.

“I hardly think so my love, you see, you won’t see me, why get my hands dirty when I have people who are more than willing to do the dirty work for me
.
”

“You prick,
you’re
gutless
.
”

“Well, if you say so, anyway, must dash...”

“Why? Got a date or something?” I was trying to stall him, I wanted Jackson to find him
.
I wanted him to drag this guy’s sorry
ass
in here so I could empty my gun into his head.

“Actually I have, wow, can werewolves read minds too
?
”

“If I could I would know
who you were,
where you were, and you’d be dead already
.
”

He
started
to respond but I didn’t get to hear it, Nancy grabbed the phone out of my hand.

“Listen to me you spineless piece of meat, she isn’t on her own
and
she never will be, so if you think you can take her out, try it
.
I promise you, you won’t succeed, we will find you. Think on it this way you thick shit, if werewolves exist, what else does
?
W
hat do you think I am?” she blasted
.
“Well, come on, do you think I’m a normal human being?” She stood up
straight.
“Take a good look, what do you think I am
?
”

“Just another target
,
” I heard him reply.

“He just hung up on me
,
” she told me, disgusted
.
“
The
bastard
actually
hung up on me.
”

“Nancy, he’ll come after
you
now too
.
”

“Let him
.
”

“He knows about Tristan and Jackson too
.
”

“How
?
”

“He called me
earlier
.
”

I told her everything that had been said over the last few conversations I’d had with him. Her eyes seemed to darken slightly
.
They
looked cold, very cold.

“If he hadn’t called
while
I was here, would you have told me he knew about us?” She asked, her attitude matching her eyes

“Of course I would
.
”

“When?”

“Nancy, do me a
favor
, lose the attitude
,
” I warned
.
“I was going
to tell you before you left
.
”

We were interrupted by a thudding
sound;
it was coming from the back garden
. B
oth of us flew to the door, Nancy ripped it open and we ran outside. We got out just in time to see Tristan snap some
guy’s
neck, I watched as his lifeless body fell to the floor. A few feet away from him was Jackson
.
He
had another guy pinned to the
ground
, his knee pushed down between the guys shoulder blades.

“Look what we have her
e
.
” Jackson smirked, dragging the guy to his feet
.

“Nice
,
” Nancy smiled, walking over to him
.
“
Maybe
I could keep him as a pet
.
”

“Good idea
,
” Tristan added
.
“You could really have some fun with him
.
”

I started to worry a little, was this how they treated people?

“I thought you might want to have a little chat with him
,
” Jackson said to
me.

“Bring him inside
.
”

I turned my back on them and walked back into the kitchen. Nancy followed but waited by the door to close it behind the guys. Jackson led the man to the chair closest to him and pushed down on his shoulders to make him sit
.
I sat down studying him for a moment. He was skinny, not very tall and young, around twenty-five
.
His
clothes were dirty and torn, he smelled as though he hadn’t had a shower for months – at least, not body odour, more musty
.
He
carried a strong smell of damp. His long greasy hair was pulled back behind his ears, matted with mud and other dirt.

“Who are you?” I finally asked
.

He didn’t respond.

“Answer her
,
” Tristan shouted
.

“I’m nobody, just a nobody
,
” the man replied
.

“What is your
name?” I don’t know why I asked,
I didn’t really care
.

“Adam
.
”

“Well Adam, I suggest you answer all my questions, otherwise, well, you work it out
.
”

“If I tell you anything
he’ll kill me
.
”

“Who
will
?
”

Silence.

“Adam, who will kill you?”

“I don’t know his
name;
we just call him ‘boss’. He gives the orders, if we follow them we get paid
,
” he told me
.

“Who is ‘
we’
?”

“
There are
lots of us
.
”

“How many?” Jackson asked him
.

“I’m not sure, about
thirty,
forty,
maybe
more
.
”

“Why do you want Leticia?”

“I don’t know
.
I don’t know who she is
or
why he wants her
.”

“So you’re just trying to kill someone because he’s offered you money
?
” Nancy shouted
.

“I wasn’t sent to kill her, I was sent to watch her, frighten her
,
” he explained
.
“
Not
to hurt her
.
”

“The guy you work for
,
” I started
.
“
This
‘boss’
of yours, what does he want with me, what’s his end game?”

“I don’t know
,
” Adam said, shaking his head
.
“
And
that’s the truth, he said not to ask questions, when he wants us to know something he’ll tell us
.
”

“Why would you work for someone like that?”

“I need the money...”

“
Drugs
?”

“No, god no, I wouldn’t touch them. I lost my family, I have nobody, I was an idiot and everyone turned their backs on me. I have no money for food or shelter, I live on the streets, the only time I eat is if someone takes pity on me and buys me some soup or something. We’re all the same, or at least the others I’ve met are, they’re all homeless
.”

“What has he offered you?” I asked
.

“
H
e gave us cars, money for
food, he said once this is over
we’ll be looked after, we’ll be able to afford to pay for a flat, food, clothes, so we can start again, get jobs, better ourselves
.
”

“Adam, do you honestly believe someone this sick and twisted will do that for you?” Tristan asked him
.

“I don’t know but I had to try, nowhere will employ me because I have nowhere to live, to change, to wash, but how can I get all that without being employed?” he turned to face
me;
his eyes were filling with tears
.
“I’m sorry Leticia, I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t know you, I don’t know why he hates you
so
much
.
”

“Do you know what I am?” I asked
.

“I don’t understand the question, wait, you do people’s nails and
stuff
don’t you?”

“Yes, is that all you know about me
.
”

He didn’t answer he just nodded.

“Adam, answer me honestly
,
” I told him
.
“
I
f I
were
to let you leave, what would you do next?”

“I have to report back, if I don’t, he’ll find me and I’m as good as dead. When we first started he said if we betrayed him he’d kill us
.
”

“So you’ve seen his face
?
”

“No, this may sound stupid but he wears a scarf, he wraps it around his face so only his eyes are showing, and a coat with a big hood, we didn’t take him seriously at first, until he fed us, watered us and...”

“So hang on a minute
,
” Jackson interrupted
.
“Are you saying if Leticia was nice enough to set you free, you would still go back to this dick?”

“I have too
,
” Adam sighed
.

“Then you know we can’t let you leave
.
”

“I don’t want to die
,
”
h
e was crying now, his hands were trembling, I felt genuinely sorry for him. I stood up and walked over to the kitchen window.

“Sorry mate, but we can’t let you report back
,
” Tristan told him
.

I turned around just as Tristan started
toward
him, I ran forward and grabbed Adams arm, dragging him from the chair and behind me.

“No!” I shouted at Tristan, putting my hand flat against his chest
.
“Leave him alone
.
”

“Leticia look, I know this is hard but.
.
.”

“You are not killing him in
my
house!”

“Then I’ll take him outside
.
”

“You’ll have to get past me first
.
”

I was facing away from Adam, so I allowed my eyes to change, my teeth to sharpen, I wanted Tristan to know he would have to fight
me
to get to him.

“Are you crazy?” Jackson
scolded
.

“Get out, all of you, now!” I almost snarled
.

“Wh...
?
”

“NOW!”

“Screw you then
,
” Jackson shouted, he grabbed Nancy and Tristan and marched out of the house, slamming the back door behind them. I watched through the window as they paced through the garden, a minute later I heard one of their cars spin as they shot off.

I returned to normal before facing Adam.

“Sit down
,
” I half smiled at him
.
He
didn’t reply he just did as I’d asked
.
“Are you
hungry?
”

“Very
.
”

I made him a few sandwiches and a cup of tea, all the time he sat there in silence. I sat facing him again and waited for him to finish eating before I spoke.

“That didn’t take long
.
”

“They were
delicious
and I have
n’t
eaten since yesterday
.
” he told me
.